Smithson Valley set to take on Brandeis in playoffs' second round

The Smithson Valley Rangers celebrate after a game-clinching interception with 13 seconds remaining in their Class 5A Division II first round game at the Alamodome on Nov 16, 2012. Smithson Valley advance with a 21-14 victory over the Rattlers. MARVIN PFEIFFER/ mpfeiffer@express-news.net

Around Smithson Valley, spending Thanksgiving week preparing for a playoff game has become part of the holiday tradition.

It's happened a number of times through the years and thanks to this past Saturday's 21-14 Class 5A Division II bi-district win over Reagan, Smithson Valley is getting the opportunity to go through the experience again.

During those times, Smithson Valley has found out something even better than playing on Thanksgiving week - winning on Thanksgiving week.

After all, a victory in Friday's 1 p.m. area playoff with Brandeis (at Comlander Stadium) means the Rangers are advancing to the third round.

“It's always a good time to be playing,” Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill said. “It means you're still alive in the playoffs. It is an exciting time.”

Smithson Valley had its toughest test of the season this past week against Reagan. After dominating all opponents during the 10-game regular season, the Rangers needed key plays to hold off the Rattlers.

“I guess every game you'd love to win 100-0 but that's not very realistic, especially in the playoff bracket we're in,” Hill said. “The road is pretty tough and you have to make the plays.”

Smithson Valley took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on Lawrence Mattison's 13-yard scoring sprint. Reagan countered with a game-tying touchdown, but Mattison followed with a 1-yard TD plunge to give the Rangers a 14-7 halftime advantage.

Mattison, who rushed for 144 yards, added an 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for a 21-7 lead, but the Rattlers continued to put pressure on the Rangers.

After pulling within 21-14, Reagan had a chance to tie the score, but fourth-quarter interceptions from Austin Pierce, Shane Piatnik and Sebastian Sanchez sealed the victory.

We had a fight to the end,” Hill said. “We had some plays we needed to do better, but a lot of that was Reagan not letting us do it. We had some ill-timed penalties and lost our flow. We made some plays in the kicking game and had some takeaways in the fourth quarter. But our kids made the plays that we needed to win.”

With the first playoff victory out of the way, the focus is now on Brandeis. The Rangers hammered out a 41-7 win over the Broncos in the season opener, but Hill knows that has little bearing on this matchup.

Brandeis (10-1), which had several players out with injuries, has made a full recovery from the earlier loss, reeling off 10 straight wins while winning the District 27-5A title.

This past week, the Broncos opened the playoffs in dominant fashion by cruising to a 66-14 win over Corpus Christi King.

Brandeis employs a powerful running game headed by Trinton Ynclan. However, the passing game is complementing the ground attack. The Broncos showed that balance against King as Colbie Price threw for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

“Both of us have played a lot of football since then,” Hill said. “Brandeis is playing really well and beating people pretty handily. They do a great job with their power run game. They're big and physical up front. For a power team they're big-play oriented. (Ynclan) goes for long runs consistently.

“They do a good job of making you stack the box to stop them. Then they put the big 6-foot-6 receivers on the outside. They do a nice job of packaging and pairing that together. It's really difficult to defend.”

While Brandeis has made strides, Smithson Valley has done the same.

The defense has been solid all season with steady play coming from all areas. The offense is well-rounded, giving quarterback Garrett Smith a number of options.

“I really love this team's commitment,” Hill said. “They come here every day to work. They practice well. They listen. They have a passion for the game. “

The winner plays either Del Rio or Brownsville Veterans Memorial in the third round.